When Things Come Tumbling Down
by SophF95
Summary: Libby Hannah's parents have recently split. Her Mum has turned to alcohol to help her through leaving Libby to care for Olly her little brother. But with exam season starting at Waterloo Road will Libby be able to keep everything together or will it all come tumbling down?
1. Chapter 1

_Hello everyone. Been thinking about this idea for a while now but couldn't decide which head teacher to have. Finally decided to have it as Rachel Mason as I've never wrote her character before so thought it would be fun to try. Chris Mead will be her deputy. All characters belong to the BBC apart from Libby and Olly Hannah and their Mum who I've made up. Libby is in year 11 and is friends with Sam, Lauren, Josh and Finn._

 **When Things Come Tumbling Down**

 **Chapter 1:**

4am in the morning and Libby Hannah lays awake in her bed staring up at the ceiling, her ears filled with the sound of someone retching in the bathroom. Her Mum. It was a sound she was quickly getting used to as it had become a regular occurrence since her Dad left a few weeks ago. According to her Mum it was her way of coping and that it would stop soon but instead it was just getting worse.

As Libby laid in bed listening she heard the sound of the toilet flushing, the squeaking of the bathroom door opening and the stumbling of feet on the floor and poor attempts to stifle laughing. Libby's bedroom door creaked open slowly and a small shadow edged its way across the room then slowly climbed into her bed.

"Can't sleep again?" Libby asked quietly as she turned to her little brother.

"Mummy woke me up with her laughing." Olly said quietly before yawning. "What was she laughing at?"

"I don't know Olly. Let's just try and get back to sleep." Libby said pulling up the duvet so it covered them both snuggly and nestled down. She watched as Olly shut his eyes, his cuddly monkey in one hand, but she knew fine well that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep.

A few hours later Libby's ears were filled with the familiar beeping of her alarm. She rolled over and turned it off before letting out a deep sigh. Despite her attempts at trying to get back to sleep it didn't work. It never does.

Hauling herself up out of bed Libby started to quietly get herself ready whilst Olly continued to sleep. She went downstairs and started to pour out two bowls of cereal and just started to eats hers when she heard the buzz of her phone. A message from Lauren.

 _How are you feeling about today? I'm so nervous!_

Today was the first day of their exams. Libby had planned to spend the evening revising but ended up not doing any so she was not feeling prepared at all and was trying to block the thought from her mind. Glancing up at the clock she noticed it was already half past 7. She was going to be late if she didn't hurry up.

"Olly, time to get ready." She said gently as she shook her little brother awake. She hated waking him up but if she didn't he wouldn't get to school. She hurried round finding him some clothes to put on and sat him down at the table so he could eat his breakfast whilst she got their bags ready.

As she passed by her Mum's bedroom door she could see her laid on the floor still in the dress she wore to go out in, one shoe still on her foot. Grabbing a blanket off the bed she draped it over the figure on the floor and placed a pillow beneath her head. Looked like she would have to take Olly to school again meaning that she would be late.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello! I would like to start by saying thank you to the people who reviewed on the first chapter of this story. It means a lot that people are reading it and wanting to read more. I hope you enjoy this chapter now that I'm starting to get into the story a bit more. Thanks in advance for any reviews and follows!_

 **Chapter 2:**

Running down the street Libby glanced at her phone. It was 9am. School started 15 minutes ago and her exam started in five minutes. She planned on getting the bus with Olly to his school but she didn't have any money and their Mum was too drunk to do anything so they ended up having to walk meaning Libby was going to be later than originally thought.

In the distance she could see the outline of the school getting closer and closer but her legs couldn't keep up the pace, a stitch beginning to form in her side. Puffing and panting she jogged down the road to the entrance doors and could see people had already took their seats in the hall ready for the start of the exam. Panic started to pass over her. She had done no revision at home and hadn't attended any of the revision classes her maths teacher had put on even though she said she would.

Suddenly the door to the hall opened and Mr Mead walked out with Miss Mason.

"Libby, what are you doing out here? You should be in the hall." Mr Mead said confusingly as he walked over to her to guide her into the hall.

"Sorry, I err…" she started but she couldn't seem to get her words out.

"Never mind that now. The exam is about to start." Mr Mead explained as he looked at his watch and realised there was only a minute to go. "Pass me your things and you can come and collect them from me once it is over, ok?" Mr Mead explained as he grabbed hold of her bag and coat before opening the hall door for her.

As the door swung shut Chris turned to Rachel and he could tell instantly they were thinking the same thing.

"How many times the past few weeks has Libby been late now?" Rachel questioned. She had had a few comments made about Libby's attendance dropping as well as her standard of work and behaviour.

"This week alone she's been late every day." Chris said as they walked down the corridor towards the stair case and up to Rachel's office.

"I'll have a word with her once she comes out of the exam and see if I can find out what is going on." Chris explained before the duo parted ways so Chris could go and get ready for his lesson. He had noticed himself that Libby hadn't been her usually bubbly self in his lessons for a few weeks now but just put it down to exam nerves but now he was beginning to think there was something more to it.


	3. Chapter 3

_Hi everyone. So this one is a bit of a short chapter but I just wanted to give you an insight into her thoughts and needed a bit of a filler before the next chapter. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much for all the reviews and follows so far, keep them coming!_

 **Chapter 3:**

Entering the hall Libby could feel everyone's eyes staring at her as she hurried as quickly as she could to her seat and sat down. As the exam papers were handed out she could feel her pulse getting quicker, her palms getting sweaty. The announcement was made to start.

Shakily Libby turned over the paper and looked at the first question. She read it, re-read it, then read it again but it wasn't making sense. She couldn't concentrate.

"Come on Libby. Pull yourself together." She said to herself in her head as she picked up her pen and started to try and make sense of the question. Around the room she could hear pens scratching on the paper and several minutes later the sounds of pages being turned.

The minutes ticked on by as Libby tried her best to answer the questions she thought she knew and attempted ones that she didn't. She knows Maths isn't one of her strong subjects which is why she was going to spend the evening revising but she never got chance.

When Libby got home last night her Mum had already started drinking. She had picked Olly up on her way home and her Mum was dancing round in the kitchen. Libby had just got upstairs and unpacked her bag when her Mum came in and said she was going out. That was the last she saw of her until she came stumbling at 4am that morning. She didn't need to ask where she was going anymore, she just knew. So as usual Libby ended up having to cook tea for her and Olly and having to be Olly's Mum rather than his sister.

Suddenly Libby was pulled from her thoughts as a voice shouted across the hall that their time was up. Reluctantly she put her pen down on the desk and closed her paper knowing that she could have done so much better if she had revised. If only her Mum had given her the chance. If only her Mum was actually being a Mum.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hi again. Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! Really been enjoying writing chapters for this story today so thought I would treat you to another one. I go back to work and college tomorrow so updates won't be as often but I'm hoping at least twice a week, 3 times if I can. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, it's getting a bit more exciting now. Keep the reviews coming and I'm open to suggestions and ideas! Thank you!_

 **Chapter 4:**

Standing in the toilets Libby tried her hardest to compose herself. She could feel tears building up in her eyes. She had completely messed up that exam. Splashing her face with cold water she breathed deeply and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail because she let Olly use the last of the hot water for his bath, she hadn't had any time to put on any make up and as she examined her face even closer she could see the dark shadows under her eyes from her lack of sleep and the paleness of her skin.

Outside in the corridor Libby could hear it starting to fill up with the sounds of voices and she realised it must be break time. Taking one last deep breath Libby opened the toilet door and entered the hustle and bustle She knew she needed to go and see Mr Mead to get her things but she had a feeling that he would want to talk to her about why she was late.

As she walked down the science corridor she could see through the window that Mr Mead was sat at his desk marking, her things in a pile in the far corner of the room. Tapping quietly on the door Libby watched at Mr Mead looked up and smiled, welcoming her into the room.

"How did it go?" Mr Mead asked as he put his pen down on the desk so that he could focus all of his attention on Libby.

"Ermm…ok I guess..." Libby said shakily. She knew Mr Mead wouldn't be convinced by this answer but she really didn't want to tell him the truth.

"You don't sound too sure?" Mr Mead questioned as he got up out of his seat and perched himself on the table next to Libby. He watched as she awkwardly shuffled her hands around and could see that she was starting to get emotional.

"Can we just leave it please?" She whispered quietly as she tried desperately to compose herself. It was one thing crying alone in the school toilets but she did not want to cry in front of a teacher.

"Why were you late this morning Libby?" Mr Mead asked gently as he turned to face Libby. He was getting more concerned about her. She was normally such a bubbly, enthusiastic girl who was always on time, never late handing work in and usually performed well in exams but this had seemed to have gone downhill recently.

"I just slept in late. My alarm didn't go off." Libby said as she looked down at her hands. She had never been good at lying. She took after her Dad for that as he was the same.

"This seems to be happening a lot recently doesn't it?" Mr Mead replied as he looked at Libby.

"I guess." Libby replied quietly whilst shrugging her shoulders. She didn't know what else to say.

"You're not in trouble ok? But if there is something that you would like to tell us, either me, Miss Mason or another teacher, then we're here ok? We're worried about you." Mr Mead explained. He really wanted her to open up about what was happening. He didn't believe that she had slept in late considering when he looked at her eyes it looked like she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in a while.

"Look, nothing is going on ok? I just slept in late. That's all. It won't happen again." Libby replied harsher than she intended but she was sick of being questioned. It was none of his business what is going on. She got up off the table and went and grabbed her things before leaving Mr Mead sitting alone at the table wondering what had just happened.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi everyone. Quite a long chapter this one but I really enjoyed writing it. Thank you so much for the amazing reviews, I really appreciate them and feel free to leave any suggestions and I'll try my best to include them!_

 **Chapter 5:**

A knock sounded on the door and Rachel looked up as it creaked open to see who it was entering her office.

"Got a minute?" Chris said as he shut the office door behind him and walked over to the chairs by Rachel's desk.

"Is this about Libby?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, there's definitely something going on there." Chris started to explain. "I don't think her exam went too well. She looked like she was about to cry when I asked her how it went and got very defensive when I asked her why she late."

"What was her excuse?" Rachel questioned. She had never had any complaints about Libby before until a few weeks ago when she started turning up late and her grades started to slip.

"She says she missed her alarm go off but as she was leaving she shouted at me to leave it and stormed out." Chris said and he could see the concern and confusion in Rachel's face grow. It was completely out of character for Libby to act like this.

"Right, I suggest we keep a very close eye on her. Something is not right. Talk to her teachers and see if they know anything but if this continues we'll have to phone home I think." Rachel said and Chris agreed.

Meanwhile Libby had made it to her lesson. English with Mr Clarkson. She went and sat in her usual seat and Sam came and joined her, Lauren sitting at the table in front.

"Where have you been all morning? We've missed you." Sam said as she got out her pen ready for the lesson.

"Oh, I was late this morning then I had to see Mr Mead after my exam." Libby said trying to sound casual. She didn't want to be questioned by her friends either.

"What did Mr Mead want you for?" Sam asked.

"Oh, nothing. He just looked after my things during the exam as I didn't have time to go to my locker." Libby said and Sam and Lauren thought nothing more of it. The lesson was going well until Mr Clarkson came round to collect their essays they were meant to do for homework in.

"Libby, where's yours?" Mr Clarkson asked as he collected in Sam and Lauren's essays. Libby had completely forgot she had an essay to do.

"It's at home, I forgot to bring it with me." Libby explained trying to sound convincing.

"I'll talk to you at the end of the lesson." Mr Clarkson said before moving on and collecting the rest of the essays in leaving Libby wondering what he would say to her. Today was turning out to be a rubbish day, all she wanted to do was keep her head down and get on with her work but now she was going to be in trouble for the second time that day.

For the remainder of the lesson Libby found it hard to keep focused. She was meant to be working with Sam and Lauren to create essay plans but her mind kept wondering to other things. As the lesson came to an end Sam and Lauren collected their things and said to Libby they would save her a seat in the canteen whilst she remained sitting at her desk waiting for Mr Clarkson to show the rest of the class out.

The door closed as the last pupil made their way out of the room and Mr Clarkson came over and propped himself up against the table next to Libby.

"Right, do you want to tell me the truth about this essay?" Mr Clarkson asked. Libby could feel his eyes piercing into the side of her head but she refused to look at him. Instead she just sat in silence not knowing what to say.

"Libby, is there something going on? It's not like you to not hand in essays. You're normally handing them in before they're even due!" Tom said as he pulled up a chair next to Libby.

"Look, I just forgot to do it ok? Not everyone is perfect." Libby said as she continued to stare down at her desk. She just wanted this conversation to be over.

"I know that but your exam is coming up very soon. You need to be on the ball. You need to be doing these essays to get ready, to practice and see where you need to improve." Mr Clarkson explained as Libby sat quietly and listened. "This isn't the time to start slacking, alright?"

"I know that!" Libby snapped back, looking at Mr Clarkson for the first time. "I'm doing what I can you know but it's not that easy." She shouted taking Mr Clarkson by surprise.

"I know but you need to try and keep on top of things. These exams are important…" Mr Clarkson went on to say but he was cut short.

"So everyone keeps telling me! Exams this, exams that. My life isn't all just exams you know! I do have more important things to be doing!" Libby shouted and this time she stood up out of her seat, tears beginning to roll down her eyes. "Now if you don't mind I've got work to do." She said before grabbing her things and rushed towards the door, swung it open and hurried down the corridor out of sight.


	6. Chapter 6

_Hi everyone! Can't thank you enough for the amazing reviews, it feels so good knowing people are enjoying this story and it really motivates me to keep writing. Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please remember to leave a review and any suggestions_

 **Chapter 6:**

On her way to the canteen Libby rummaged around in her bag trying to find her purse. She was convinced she had put it in there that morning. Stopping at the window she emptied the contents of her bag out onto the window sill and realised she hadn't brought her purse with her. She must have left it on the kitchen table at home when she looked inside to see if she had money for her and Olly to use the bus.

"Great." She said to herself as she angrily started shoving her things back in her bag. "Just what I needed to top my day off."

"Everything alright Libby?" a voice said from behind her. She turned round and saw Miss Campbell who was heading down to the canteen to get her own dinner.

"Err…I left my purse at home this morning." Libby said forcing a weak smile out at the end to try and be more like her usual self.

"Don't worry about it. It happens to us all sometimes. Come on, I'll get you something." Miss Campbell said and held her hand out in front so Libby could lead the way. She was grateful for Miss Campbell being so kind but even more so that she wasn't asking her any questions.

"There we go." Miss Campbell says as she places a dinner on the table in front of Libby and takes a seat on the table opposite her. Libby couldn't see where Sam and Lauren were and thought they might have already finished their dinner and gone outside for some fresh air.

"Thanks Miss" Libby replies quietly as she picks up her cutlery and starts to eat but she wasn't feeling that hungry. She could feel Miss Campbell gazing at her every now and then and after a couple of mouthfuls Libby had ended up playing with her food with her fork rather than eating it.

"Not hungry?" Miss Campbell questioned as she put down her own cutlery on her plate. Libby looked up and realised that she had finished her dinner and whilst she had been lost in her thoughts the canteen had started to empty.

"Oh, no…I've had enough" Libby spluttered. She felt guilty not eating much of her dinner since Miss Campbell had paid for it herself but she just wasn't in the mood. She was worried about what would happen tonight at home. She really needed to get back on top of her school work and revision and have a good night's sleep but she knew her Mum would be going out meaning she would once again be stuck with Olly. On top of that she needed to get some money from her Mum for food. Not just school dinners, but there was hardly any food left in the house last night when she was trying to make tea for her and Olly. Last time she asked her Mum ended up shouting at her because she was drunk and wanted it for more alcohol, but Libby couldn't remember the last time she saw her Mum sober to ask her. She seemed to be always drunk or asleep with a hangover.

"I'm going to go outside for some fresh air. Thanks again Miss." Libby said as she got her bag and picked up her tray to put away. She knew it was only a matter of time before the questions would start and she had to get out of there before they did.

Outside Libby went and sat on the bench round the back of the school alone. She didn't know what to do with herself anymore. She knew she should use any spare time to catch up with work but she had that much to do she didn't even know where to start. Instead she pulled out a list of paper and started writing a list of things she would need when she goes shopping. The list got longer and longer and Libby started to panic as to how she was going to get all of this. Even if she asked her Mum for money she was bound to only give her a fiver, ten pound at most and that wouldn't cover everything.

As Libby thought about what she could do she glanced at her watch to check the time. It was already 10 minutes into her next lesson. Putting her notepad back into her bag she rushed through the nearest set of doors she could find whilst pulling out her timetable to see where she was meant to be.

"Oh great. Science with Mr Mead. The one teacher I turn up late for!" She thought to herself as she hastily pushed her timetable back in her pocket and headed towards the science lab.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hi everyone. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks again for all the reviews, keep them coming!_

 **Chapter 7:**

Opening the door slowly Libby quietly entered the class and she could feel the rest of her peers watching her as she shut the door behind her. As she made her way to her seat Libby could see Mr Mead walking round handing back last week's piece of homework. She knew for a fact she wouldn't have done well on it considering she did it on the morning it was due to be handed in whilst eating her breakfast.

"Where have you been Libby?" Mr Mead said as he came and stood in front of her desk.

"I needed the toilet." Libby said simply. Mr Mead looked at her then flicked through the remaining pieces of paper until he found hers. He placed it down on the desk and Libby saw her mark. Four out of ten. Worse than she expected.

"Stay back at the end of the lesson and we'll go through it ok?" Mr Mead said and disappeared to hand out the rest of the homework sheets before Libby even had chance to answer. She couldn't stay behind at the end of the day. She had to go and pick Olly up from school. She doubted that her Mum would.

Libby sat and tried her best to listen for the rest of the lesson and tried to take notes about what Mr Mead was talking about but her mind kept wandering. After several attempts to regain her focus she heard the bell ring to symbolise the end of the lesson and the end of the school day. For the second time that day, as the rest of the class packed up their things and left the room, Libby remained seated.

"Right, let's have a look at this homework then." Mr Mead said as he came over and sat on a seat near Libby with a notepad containing blank paper and a pen.

"I see you got the first two right. That means you've understood the basics. Is it the more complex ones you struggled with?" Mr Mead asked.

"No, it's just…." Libby started but instantly stopped herself from carrying on.

"It's just what?" Mr Mead asked confusingly. He had a feeling she was about to tell him something before she realised what she was about to say.

"Nothing." Libby said quickly. She can't believe that she had nearly let things slip

"No, go on Libby. I might be able to help you with it?" Mr Mead said encouragingly but he knew the moment had passed.

"You can't ok? Look, there's somewhere I need to be. I need to go." Libby said suddenly sounding panicky. She gathered her things together and rushed out of the class once again.

As she dashed through the doors and across the yard she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Her Mum was calling her.

"Hello," she said as she answered the phone.

"Why have I just had a missed call off the school saying that Olly hasn't been picked up?" her Mum asked, her voice sounding slurred from the alcohol.

"I got kept behind. I'm on my way to get him now." Libby explained breathlessly as she ran down the road towards Olly's school.

"You better be." Her Mum said before hanging up the phone leaving Libby even more worried about asking her for money once she gets in. She had a feeling it wasn't going to go well.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi everyone. So this week I am managing to do more than 3 updates as I've not been that busy in terms of work things. Thanks for all the reviews once again, they're amazing and I look forward to reading about what you think! Hope you enjoy this chapter_

 **Chapter 8:**

Walking down the corridor Mr Mead had no idea what to think about the situation with Libby other than something was seriously wrong. He just wished that she would open up to him about it. As he rounded a corner lost in thought he accidently bumped into Tom.

"Ah, I just on my way to see you." Tom exclaimed as he realised who he had just bumped into. "I got your email about Libby Hannah. We had a bit of a run in with each other in my lesson today." Tom started to explain.

"Go on…" Chris prompted and he listened as Tom explained about how she had not done the essay and snapped at him about how there are more important things in life than exams and stormed off.

"I take it by the look on your face that you've had issues with her too?" Tom commented.

"Yeah, something like that. Going to speak to Rachel now, there's something not right." Chris said and thanked Tom for letting him know what had happened during his lesson and made his way up the stairs once again to Rachel's office.

"Any updates on Libby?" Rachel said as Chris sat himself at the table opposite her. Chris explained how she had shouted at Tom about exams not being important, how she was late to Chris's lesson and rushed off when he was trying to help her with homework.

As Chris came to the end of filling Rachel in her office door swung open and Kim came in.

"Oh, sorry. Am I interrupting something?" Kim asked but Rachel invited her to join them.

"Have you noticed anything unusual about Libby Hannah over the past few weeks?" Rachel asked Kim.

"I had lunch with her today. She said she'd left her purse at home so I bought her lunch. She was quieter than usual and didn't seem to eat much but I just put it down to the exam she had this morning." Kim explained. "Why? Do you think something more serious is going on?" Kim asked and Rachel and Chris proceeded to fill her in.

"Right, I think if she is late to school tomorrow or has any other run ins with members of staff that we should call home." Rachel explained and Chris and Kim both agreed. They had to get to the bottom of what was going on.

"In the meantime I'll pull her in for a chat tomorrow. It might just be exam nerves getting to her." Kim explained. She knew that Libby wouldn't be the first person to crumble due to exams but either way she might be able to find something out.

"Thanks Kim, make sure we are all kept up to date if anything happens." Rachel said before the trio separated.


	9. Chapter 9

_Hi everyone. So this chapter has a bit of a shocking scene in it so just wanted to prewarn you off that. I hope you like it and remember to leave a review about what you think!_

 **Chapter 9:**

Since picking Olly up from school Libby had spent her evening, as expected, being a mother to him. She'd made him dinner using the last time of beans and the final slice of stale bread that was in the house, ran him a bath and washed and ironed his uniform ready for the following day. Once again she had not had time to do any school work. Her Mum was sitting up stairs with a bottle of wine watching some soppy film whilst getting ready for another night out.

Whilst Libby was washing up in the kitchen she noticed her Mum's purse lying on the side and it reminded her that she needed to get some money for dinner tomorrow. Plucking up the courage Libby made her way up stairs and knocked quietly on her Mum's bedroom door. She waited patiently for a reply but when she didn't get one she slowly opened the door and poked her head round.

"What? Can't you see I'm busy!" Her Mum snapped as she danced around the room with a glass of wine in her hand.

"I need some money." Libby said. She decided it would be best to just come straight out with it and not waste her Mum's time.

"What for? Do you think I'm made of money!" She exclaimed as Libby stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Me and Olly need dinner money. We've ran out." Libby explained and she could see her Mum thinking about what she had just been told.

"Oh alright." Her Mum sighed as she barged her way past Libby and clumsily made her way down the stairs to the kitchen. She fumbled about with her purse and pulled out a five-pound note.

"This do you?" She said as she shoved it into Libby's hand and started to walk off before she had a chance to reply.

"We've ran out of bread too." Libby piped up feeling nervous about what would happen.

"And? You've got money now. You know where the shop is." Her Mum slurred and disappeared back upstairs. Libby knew it pointless trying to argue with her.

However, as Libby finished tidying the rest of the kitchen she couldn't help but keep glancing at the purse just lying there on the side. Peering at the door she picked it up and unfasted the buckle and peered inside. Two ten pound notes were slotted down the side. Libby slid one of out the purse and hastily shoved it into the pocket of her trousers and was about to fasten the buckle back up when she heard the creaking of the stairs. In panic she flung the purse back on the side and dashed into the front room hoping her Mum would be too drunk to notice.

As Libby sat there next to Olly fear build up inside her. What if she noticed? What if she realised it was missing? She listened as her Mum got her heels on and the familiar clanking of her shoes against the kitchen floor filled her ears, the chain of her bag scraping across the table. Footsteps drew closer but went past the door straight to the front door. She was going. She might have just got away with it.

Suddenly the front room door flew open and Libby's Mum stood there with her purse wide open staring at her daughter.

"How dare you take money from me!" She shouted as she charged across the room towards Libby, Olly freezing at the sudden change in atmosphere.

"I…I didn't!" Libby gasped but she knew it wasn't working.

"Don't lie to me! Stand up!" She shouted and Libby reluctantly stood up to face her Mum who towered above her in her heeled shoes.

"You're just like your father. A thief." She snarled and Libby could smell the alcohol on her breath as tears started to fill her eyes.

"Well maybe if you…" Libby started to argue back but her argument was cut short. A pain shot across her cheek, her eyes brimming with tears as she stumbled back into the wall. She couldn't believe it. Her Mum had hit her and it was in front of Olly. She could feel her cheek stinging, her eyes watering.

"That should teach you." Her Mum snarled before turning her back on Libby and leaving the house as if nothing had happened.


	10. Chapter 10

_Hi everyone. Hope the last chapter wasn't too shocking for you. Thank you for all the reviews so far, they mean a lot. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Keep the reviews coming and any suggestions!_

 **Chapter 10:**

Later that evening Libby stood in the bathroom alone. She had put Olly into bed and reassured him everything was going to be ok even though she didn't believe it herself anymore but she had to be strong for him.

Looking in the mirror Libby could already see a bruise forming on her cheek, a scratch on top of it from her Mum's finger nail. She winced as she glided her finger over it. She had no idea how she was going to hide this at school the following day and that she was bound to get questioned.

Once she was finished in the bathroom Libby went to her bedroom and laid in bed staring up at the ceiling. She knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep. She was too scared about what her Mum would do when she gets back in. She glanced at the clock and saw it was 1am. She had to get up in 5 hours.

Flicking her light on Libby glanced over at her calendar and sighed slightly when she realised that she had an exam free day. At least that was one less thing to worry about. Looking at the following day she saw that was the day of her English exam. She decided whilst she was awake she might as well do something productive and got out her revision books and a notepad and pen and started making notes.

At 6am the room filled with the familiar beeping of Libby's alarm clock as she groggily rolled over to turn it off. As she rubbed her eyes and sat up she saw her bed covered with sheets of paper and text books and remembered that she tried to do some revision but must have fallen asleep. She clumsily collected everything together and shoved it in the corner of her room, gathered what she needed to get ready and headed to the bathroom.

Once she was ready she once again went downstairs to make herself and Olly breakfast when she realised that she hadn't heard her Mum come last night. Putting the almost empty cereal box back in the cupboard she made her way upstairs and looked at the door to her Mum's room. It was pulled closed so Libby couldn't see in whether or not she was there. She quietly creeped over and gently knocked on the door but as expected there was no response. Even if her Mum was in there she would be too asleep to answer. Pushing down the handle she gently opened the door a crack and peered her head round to find the room completely empty.

As Libby backed out of the doorway it dawned on her that her Mum hadn't been home since she left last night. She had never done that before. She had no idea where she was or whether she was ok. She knew after what had happened last night that she shouldn't care but she was still her Mum and she stilled loved her.

After getting Olly up and dressed she left him at the table eating breakfast and decided to try and call her Mum. She listened as the phone rang and rang until it got to voicemail and Libby stood there deciding whether to leave her a message but once the beep was heard she decided to hang up. She had no idea what she would say and she knew her Mum wouldn't care what she had to say anyways. Instead she carried on with her normal routine of getting herself and Olly ready for school.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hi everyone. Thanks again for all the amazing comments, I love reading them. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, it took a bit of writing as I didn't quite know who Libby should bump into and how they would react but oh well, this is what I ended up deciding on. Enjoy!_

 **Chapter 11:**

Walking down the hill into school Libby kept brushing her hair over her cheek to try and hide the bruise. She had tried putting some old make up she found in the bottom of her cupboard that her Dad had bought her over the top but it didn't really do anything to hide it. She couldn't believe her Mum had actually hit her. She had changed so much since Dad had left. Libby wondered where her Mum was this morning as she had never stayed out all night before.

As Libby approached the doors into the school she took a deep breath and tried her best to act like nothing was wrong. Reaching out to grab the door handle she pulled the door open and decided just to head to her first lesson since she had somehow managed to arrive at school on time despite being really tired from her lack of sleep.

Once inside Libby could feel people glancing at her so she once again pulled her hair over her cheek to ty and hide the bruise but she could feel tears rising in her eyes. She must not cry. However, as she walked round a corner to go to first lesson she bumped straight into Ms Mason. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going.

"Careful Libby," Ms Mason said as she rested her hands on her shoulders. Libby didn't dare look up at her. She was embarrassed enough about walking straight into her and she had to hide her cheek from her.

"Sorry Miss." Libby said quietly hoping that after this she would be able to get on her way.

"It's nice to see you here on time though." Ms Mason replied. She still wasn't convinced that everything was ok though. Libby hadn't looked up from the ground at all so far and wasn't as talkative as normal.

"Libby, is everything ok?" Ms Mason asked as she moved herself and Libby into an empty classroom, out of the way of the corridor. She continued to keep her head down.

"Do you want to talk about it? I might be able to help." Ms Mason asked gently as she gestured to Libby to take a seat, Ms Mason sitting opposite and that's when she noticed.

"Libby, what happened to your cheek?" Ms Mason asked. She watched as Libby spread her hair over her cheek again and she could see tears silently falling down her face.

"Shall we go up to my office and we can talk about it?" Ms Mason asked and she half didn't expect an answer but this time Libby did reply. She looked at Ms Mason for the first time that morning and she could see how bruised and scratched her cheek really was.

"There's nothing to talk about." Libby said simply. She didn't want to talk to Ms Mason, she just wanted to go to lesson and carry on like nothing had happened.

"Then tell me Libby, how did you get the mark on your cheek?" Ms Mason asked again gently. She really needed Libby to open up about how she got it.

"I walked into a door ok? Now can we just leave it?" Libby snapped at Ms Mason who sighed. She knew she was getting no where and Libby was getting very defensive.

"Ok," Ms Mason said simply. "But I think there's more to it and I think you do too. I just want you to remember that I'm here for you as are all the other teachers in this school if you need someone to talk to, ok?" Ms Mason explained before letting Libby go to her first lesson.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hi everyone. So I just want to apologise in advance for this really short chapter. I just wanted to give you a bit of an insight into Rachel's thoughts and what is going on with the staff before the next chapter. A bit of a filler really. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it and thanks again for all the reviews! I promise the next chapter will be longer and keep any suggestions coming!_

 **Chapter 12:**

Opening the door to the staff room Rachel made her way in and stood in front of all the members of staff ready for that mornings briefing.

"Sorry I'm late everyone," Rachel said as she glanced at the clock and realised she was a good 10 minutes late. She explained what would be happening that day and the other usual things that were covered before bringing up the subject of Libby Hannah.

"I just want to make you all aware that myself, Chris and a few other members of staff have concerns about Libby Hannah. We've noticed her behaviour slipping and has been regularly late recently. She has also come to school this morning with a bruised cheek claiming she walked into a door. If you see or hear anything or have your own concerns then please let either myself or Chris know." Rachel explained before letting the staff head to their classrooms to start their lessons.

"Do you still want me to have a chat with her?" Kim asked as she walked over to Rachel to check since the circumstances had changed.

"She was very defensive this morning when I was talking to her so I don't know how much you'll get out of her but you can try. She'll have to open up eventually." Rachel started to explain.

"Right, well we'll see how she goes this morning and after lunch I'll pull her in for a chat as I don't have a lesson." Kim explained and Rachel agreed that it was a good plan before leaving the deserted staff room and headed back up to her office.

As she sunk down in her seat Rachel let out a sigh. She had no idea what was going on with Libby but she had a bad feeling about it. If any more run ins with staff occurred, then she would have no choice but to call her Mum. Rachel just hoped that she would have a good morning and Kim's chat will have an impact but after the mood Libby was in this morning she had a feeling this wasn't going to happen.


	13. Chapter 13

_Hi everyone. Sorry for not updating in a while but been busy the past few nights. Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one! Please remember to leave your reviews and any suggestions!_

 **Chapter 13:**

After making it to art lesson with Miss Campbell, Libby sat down in her seat and listened as Miss Campbell told them what they would be doing that lesson. Libby got her equipment ready and found a clean sheet of paper in her sketchpad. She was a talented artist and used to draw all the time before her Mum and Dad split but now that she has to look after Olly she doesn't have time. She was supposed to be drawing a picture of her favourite place using a range of different resources but she couldn't even think of anywhere.

Minutes passed and Libby sat with a blank piece of paper in front of her. She had no idea what to draw. All the happy places were before her Mum and Dad split and she didn't want to think about it. She couldn't believe how much life had changed in such a short space of time and she couldn't even remember the last time she was happy, never mind a happy place.

"How are you getting on Libby?" Miss Campbell asked as she was making her way around the room. As she sat down next to Libby she looked at the blank piece of paper on the desk then to Libby and saw for the first time the bruise on Libby's cheek.

"If you're struggling to think of somewhere you could do somewhere you want to be or your ideal world." Miss Campbell suggested but Libby didn't respond. She didn't know what to say.

"I'll come back later and see what you've come up with." Miss Campbell explained before heading off to see other pupils in the class. It was not like Libby not to know what to draw.

Hoping to create a spark of imagination Libby picked up a pencil and twirled it round in her fingers hoping that her hand would just start to draw something but it wasn't working. The longer she stared at the white paper the harder it seemed to get to think of something.

Five minutes before the end of the lesson Libby decided to give up. It wasn't going to happen. Miss Campbell watched from the other side of the room as Libby slammed her pencil down on the desk and packed her things away, not a mark on her sheet of paper. As the class made their way out to head to break Miss Campbell headed over to Libby.

"Did you manage to get an idea going?" She asked casually as Libby packed up her last few things. She looked up at Miss Campbell and shrugged her shoulders before grabbing her things and leaving the room in silence.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Hello everyone. I am so sorry I haven't updated this story in so long. I got writers block and didn't know where to take it but I'm hoping the ideas are flowing again. Anyways I hope you enjoy this chapter and please remember to leave a review and any ideas**_ __ __

 **Chapter 14:**

Outside in the fresh air Libby throws down her bag under the tree on the grass and slumps down against the tree trunk. She let out a deep sigh, resting her head in her hands. She had no idea what she was supposed to be doing anymore. She could hear the playground getting louder as more people came out for break and as Libby looked up she could see Sam and Lauren heading towards her.

"Hey, you ok? Feels like ages since we've seen you!" Lauren said chirpily as she sat down next to Libby on the grass.

"Yeah, just busy with exams and that." Libby said trying to sound convincing and letting out a weak smile.

"Sam is coming round mine tonight to revise for our English exam if you fancy it?" Lauren asked but straight away Libby shook her head.

"Sorry, I can't. I need to get Olly from school." Libby said.

"Can't your Mum pick him up?" Sam asked.

"No she can't…she's not very well." Libby stuttered as she tried her best to think of an excuse. She could see Lauren and Sam quickly glance at each other.

"Is it because of her and your Dad?" Sam asked gently and Libby just sat there. As much as she loved her friends and knew they were only trying to help and be there for her she wished they wouldn't ask her questions.

"Err…something like that." Libby said and hoped that would be the end of it.

"At least she's coping better than my Mum did." Sam joked. "She just ended up getting drunk all the time and turning up here embarrassing us all."

Libby could feel her eyes filling up. She really wanted to tell them and at least Sam would have some idea of what it is like but she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Anyways, we'd better be getting to lesson." Lauren said trying to change the conversation as Libby sat in silence, the atmosphere shifting. The trio got up and collected their things and Libby followed behind Lauren and Sam where she quickly wiped the few tears away and composed herself for her next lesson.

 _ **So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Just wondering if you would like some Libby/Sam chats where Libby tells Sam about what is happening etc. and also in terms of lessons shall I just stick to English with Tom, Science with Chris and Art with Kim or would you like other characters such as Music with Matt or French with either Steph or Jo? Let me know your thoughts**_ __ __


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

Walking into Mr Wilding's classroom Libby crossed the room and took her usual seat next to Sam.

"What happened to your cheek? I was going to ask you earlier but it didn't seem a good time." Sam asked gently. It was just the two of them at their side of the room as they had arrived a bit early.

"I…err…walked into a door." Libby said trying to sound convincing but she knew it wasn't working.

"Are you sure? It looks like someone hit you." Sam said as she rummaged around in her pencil case to find a pen ready for when the lesson started. She was trying not to make a big deal of it but she could tell when Libby was lying.

"Look, just leave it Sam. It doesn't matter who did it." Libby replied quickly. She could feel her pulse getting quicker the more Sam questioned her.

"So someone did hit you then?" Sam turned and looked at her. Suddenly it dawned on Libby what she had said. She couldn't believe she had let it slip.

"Sam, please don't tell anyone. I'm sick of people sticking their nose in my business. I can look after myself." Libby pleaded with her quietly. The room was filling up with people coming for the lesson and Mr Wilding was stood at the door greeting people as they entered, glancing occasionally over at Libby.

"Was it your Mum?" Sam asked but it was one question too much for Libby. She grabbed her bag and headed towards the door. "Where are you going?" Sam shouted across the room and Libby could hear the sound of concern in her voice. However, before Libby could get anywhere Mr Wilding stepped back in the room and looked at Libby, then to Sam, then back to Libby.

"What's going on girls?" Mr Wilding questioned as he wondered where Libby was going with all of her things. He couldn't help but briefly look at the bruise on her cheek, the scratch now scabbed over on top.

"Nothing." Libby said quietly as she stood next to the door, her head down.

"So why are you stood here with all your things and not in your seat?" Mr Wilding asked.

"I…I just…." Libby started but she had no idea what she was going to say so instead turned round and went and sat back down in her seat.

Mr Wilding proceeded to explain what they would be doing this lesson but Libby couldn't bring herself to listen. Instead she stared into space trying to avoid all eye contact with both Sam and Mr Wilding in fear of them asking more questions. After a few minutes she could hear movement and saw Mr Wilding handing out sheets and realised that people were having to work in pairs.

"Looks like it's me and you." Sam said quietly letting out a weak smile as Mr Wilding placed a sheet on their table. Sam picked it up and started to read it but Libby had no interest in what it said. She could feel her phone vibrating in her pocket and carefully took it out making sure to hide it from Mr Wilding. It was a missed call from her Mum and a voicemail message.

"You ok?" Sam asked quietly. She could see that Libby's hands were shaking as she looked at her phone but Libby didn't answer. She clumsily tried to get her phone back into her pocket but instead it slipped out of her hand onto the floor.

"Is that your phone Libby?" Mr Wilding asked as he walked over and picked it up off the floor. Libby couldn't say anything and just opened and shut her mouth like a goldfish.

"You can collect it from me at the end of the day. You know the rules." Mr Wilding said simply and Libby watched as he took it to his desk and placed it in his top draw. Now she had to wait until the end of the day to find out what her Mum has to say for herself.

For the remainder of the lesson Libby worked quietly with Sam in order to try and take her mind of the voicemail message from her Mum. She was grateful to Sam that she didn't ask any more questions but she knew it would only be a matter of time before the conversation cropped up again. Once the bell rang symbolising lunch Libby quickly grabbed her things and headed out the room before Sam had the chance to start questioning her further.

 _ **Hello everyone. Thank you so much for your suggestions and thoughts. Matt is going to appear in the story more often now and I'm going to try and get Sam more involved. Keep the reviews coming**_ __ _ **Thank you!**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

Walking down the corridor Libby had no idea where she was going. She didn't fancy going to the canteen as she wasn't hungry and that would mean the chance of people trying to talk to her so instead she decided to head to the library in the hope to try and get some revision done. However, as she made her way through the set of doors at the end of the corridor she bumped into Mr Clarkson.

"Oh, what happened to you?" Mr Clarkson asked as he spotted the bruise on her cheek. It looked worse in real life than how Rachel described it.

"Oh, I err…walked into a door." Libby said as her brain tried to process what she was being asked. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up with her.

"It looks sore. You'll have to be more careful next time." Mr Clarkson replied as he didn't want to push the conversation. "Have you had chance to do the essay I asked for yesterday?" He watched as Libby thought about what he had just said then watched as she closed her eyes and let out a sigh.

"No, not yet." She sighed. She hoped that he would have forgotten about it as she definitely had.

"Come in here a minute," Mr Clarkson said as he opened the door to an empty classroom and propped himself up against one of the tables. "I know I told you this yesterday but it's not like you to miss deadlines. How is the revision going for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, fine." Libby said trying to sound positive but she could feel tears filling her eyes. She was not going to do this. Not now.

"You don't sound convinced. Are you sure there is nothing you want to tell me?" Mr Clarkson asked as he looked at Libby. He could see her fiddling with the buttons on her cardigan.

"Are the exams starting to get to you?" Mr Clarkson asked. He could clearly see there was something bothering her, he just wished that she would open up.

"Something like that." Libby sighed and wiped a tear from her cheek. She hoped if she could keep him on this track then he wouldn't ask any more questions about her cheek or start talking about home.

"Hey, don't get upset. You'll be fine." Mr Clarkson said gently as he rested his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "You work hard and I know you'll have done lots of revision for these exams." He continued to explain but Libby ended up crying even more. All the tears she had been fighting back were pouring out and there was nothing she could do to stop them.

"Did Sam tell you that her and Lauren are revising together tonight? Maybe you should join them." Mr Clarkson suggested but Libby instantly started to shake her head.

"Why not?" Mr Clarkson asked. They used to always be round each other's houses after school but for the past few weeks Libby hasn't been involved as much.

"I'm busy. I need to get home. Besides me and Sam had a bit of a disagreement this morning so it's probably best to leave it." Libby explained hoping this would be enough to stop the questions.

"Right, why don't you go and get some lunch, and remember as important as these exams are it's not the end of the world if they don't go well. Keep your chin up." Mr Clarkson said smiling and showed Libby out of the room and watched as she disappeared down the corridor.

 _ **Hi everyone. Thank you so much for all the reviews and comments. I love hearing your ideas, they give me motivation and inspire me on where to take the story so keep them coming! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter**_ __ __


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17:**

As Mr Clarkson walked into the canteen he stared around the room looking for Sam. After a few moments of looking he spied her sitting at a table with Lauren and a few others.

"Sam, can I have a quick word please?" He asked and Sam got up and Tom led them over to a quiet corner where they wouldn't be overheard.

"What happened between you and Libby this morning?" He asked and watched as Sam looked down to the ground. "Come on Sam, I know you two had a disagreement but what about?"

"It's not my place to say. You'll need to ask Libby. Sorry." Sam said and was about to turn and walk away when Mr Clarkson grabbed hold of her arm.

"Sam, it's important. I'm worried about her. If you know anything, especially anything about how she hurt her cheek, then you need to tell me." Tom said with a sense of urgency in his voice. He watched as Sam sighed and knew what she was about to tell him is the truth.

"I asked her how she hurt her cheek and she said she walked into a door but I didn't believe her. I asked if someone hit her and she got all defensive and said to leave it and that it doesn't matter who hit her so I asked if it was her Mum that did it but that was when she got up and tried walking out of lesson but Mr Wilding wouldn't let her." Sam explained. She felt bad for telling Tom what Libby had said to her but she was worried about her too and if this meant things got sorted and her friend was safe then she felt it was worth the risk.

"Is Libby ok?" Sam asked quietly as she shuffled from one foot to another. She knew Libby hadn't been herself for a few weeks now but she had no idea why.

"She will be. I promise. We just need to get to the bottom of what is going on ok? Go and enjoy your lunch." Tom said gently and gave Sam a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder before turning and headed straight towards Rachel's office.

When Tom arrived he saw the office door was ajar but knocked gently before entering and saw Rachel sat at her desk, Chris sat in one of the chairs facing the desk.

"Ah, just the person. Anything new about Libby? Kim told us she was pretty quiet and disengaged in her lesson this morning and could hardly get anything out of her." Rachel explained and could tell Tom had something to tell them as he sat down next to Chris.

"Well, I bumped into her in the corridor and asked her about her cheek but she was adamant she walked into a door but she did get rather upset when talking about exams and the essay I asked her for. I don't think she's coping well with the pressure and is starting to crumble." Tom explained and Rachel nodded but she knew that there was something else to Tom's story.

"She told me she had a falling out with Sam Kelly this morning so I found Sam to find out what had happened and turns out Libby told her that someone hit her. So our suspicions were right. Sam suggested it might have been her Mum and when she asked Libby she got up and tried to walk out of lesson but Matt stopped her." Tom explained and he could see Chris and Rachel glancing to each other.

"Have you spoke to Libby about this?" Rachel questioned and Tom shook his head.

"It would explain why she has been so defensive about it." Chris explained. "And if things aren't good at home it would also explain why her grades and attitude in general have been slipping the past few weeks." He continued just as the bell went to symbolise the end of lunch.

"Where is Libby next lesson?" Rachel asked as Chris and Tom stood up ready to go to their next lesson and Chris said that she would be with him in science.

"Right, try and keep her in your lesson. I'll be down in a bit to talk to her once I've made a note of all this." Rachel explained as the duo left the office and shut the door behind them. Rachel let out a deep sigh and placed her head in her hands. She hated it when things like this happened. She just hoped she can get to the bottom of it before something serious happens.

 _ **Hi everyone. Once again thank you so much for the lovely reviews. I really do love reading them and your suggestions! I hope you enjoyed this chapter**_ __ __


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18:**

Walking down the corridor Chris could already see pupils lined up outside the science lab waiting to go in for their lesson. As he passed he noticed that Libby wasn't among them. He told himself not to worry yet and that the bell had only just gone but part of him couldn't help but panic that she had gone without anyone having chance to talk to her.

Opening the door to the lab Chris stood to the side as the class filed in and found their seats. Before entering the room, himself Chris looked up and down the corridor again trying to see if any stragglers were coming and spied Libby. As she got closer Chris could see that she had been crying and that she looked terrible.

"Before you ask, yes I'm fine." Libby said harshly as she walked towards Mr Mead as though she had read his mind. She didn't want any more questions today. All she wanted to do was go to sleep. The lack of sleep the last few weeks with her Mum coming in drunk, the arguing, school work and all the emotions were wearing her down and she had used up the last of her energy for today.

Sitting down at her bench Libby threw her bag down onto the floor and slammed her notepad and pen down on the desk. She didn't even know why she bothered getting them out of her bag when she knew she didn't have the energy to do any of the work Mr Mead was about to set.

As Mr Mead stood and talked them through a slideshow about something Libby tuned out completely. She could feel her eyelids getting heavier and her blinks were getting longer and longer. She decided to rest her head on the table on top of her arms and listened for a few minutes to see if Mr Mead would say anything to her but he didn't.

As she laid there she tried to fight off the urge to go to sleep but the more she tried, the harder it got. She remembered gazing out of the window at the blue sky and the birds flying around and wondering how her life had turned into such a mess in the space of a few weeks.

 _ **Hi everyone, thanks again for the reviews – they do mean a lot to me so keep them coming! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19:**

The next thing Libby remembered was a gentle voice calling her name. At first she couldn't identify who the voice belonged to and as she started to stir she opened her eyes slowly and saw Ms Mason knelt down next to her, Mr Mead stood behind her. Libby sat up and looked around the room and could see people getting on quietly with their work, the odd head turning to look their way.

"Are you ok Libby?" Ms Mason asked quietly as she watched her look round the room then the look of realisation spread across her face.

"I fell asleep didn't I?" Libby asked as she looked at Ms Mason then Mr Mead. She couldn't believe this had happened.

"Yeah, you did." Ms Mason answered gently and Libby could tell she wasn't angry and that her voice was full of genuine concern. "How about you gather your things together and we go and get a drink?" Ms Mason suggested before realising that Libby didn't have anything to gather since she didn't bother to get anything out.

Libby quietly followed Ms Mason out of the room. She couldn't bring herself to look anyone in the eye out of embarrassment. She couldn't believe she had fallen asleep. She knew she was tired but she never expected herself to fall asleep in an actual lesson.

Once upstairs Ms Mason invited Libby to sit down on the sofa in the corner of the room and she watched as Ms Mason shut the door behind them and walked over to the cabinet in the corner of the room.

"What would you like? Tea, coffee…" Rachel asked so Libby settled for a glass of water. She wasn't a fan of hot drinks but didn't feel she could refuse a drink of some kind. She sat quietly looking down at the carpet as Rachel carried it over and placed it on the table, put down her own cup of coffee then sat down on the other sofa.

"Do you have anything you want to tell me Libby?" Rachel asked quietly as she turned to face Libby who continued to keep her head down and not make eye contact. She didn't understand how such a hardworking girl that she has had no previous issues with can go so off the rail in such a short space of time.

"Come on Libby, you can trust me. I'm only trying to help you." Rachel said gently as she leaned forward.

"There must be something going on. People don't just fall asleep in lesson for no reason and I'm sure Mr Mead's lesson wasn't quite that boring." Ms Mason asked. Libby knew she wasn't going to give in but she didn't want to tell her the truth.

"I'm just having a bad day and don't feel very well ok?" Libby replied whilst trying not to snap Ms Mason's head off. It was true. She has been having a rubbish day and she didn't feel the greatest. She hoped Ms Mason would fall for it.

"How did you get the bruise on your cheek?" Ms Mason asked. She knew Libby wasn't telling the truth and the gentle approach wasn't working.

"I told you, I walked into a door." Libby snapped back. She didn't care whether it was the head teacher sat next to her anymore, all she wanted was to be out of that room and away from people so she didn't have to answer any more questions.

"That's not what I've heard. I heard someone hit you." Rachel said simply. She could see Libby instantly tense and for the first time since they arrived in the office Libby lifted her head to look at Ms Mason.

"Who said that?" Libby asked and Rachel couldn't help but hear the hint of anger and worry in her voice.

"Never mind who told me, I need to know if it's true." Rachel replied.

"It isn't." Libby said sternly whilst continuing to look at Rachel. She couldn't believe Sam had told them. She had no right. She didn't mean to tell Sam in the first place but she thought that she would have at least managed to keep her mouth shut.

Suddenly the silence that filled the room was broken by the sound of the bell highlighting the end of the school day. Libby stood up and picked up her bag and was about to leave when Rachel called her back.

"One minute Libby I…." Rachel started but Libby opened the door and walked out, swinging the door shut behind her.

 _ **Once again thank you so much for all the reviews. So glad you are all enjoying this story. Keep the reviews and ideas coming!**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20:**

As Libby walked down the corridor she could once again feel her eyes filling with tears. All she wanted to do was get out of school but she didn't want to go home either. She didn't want to have to be a Mum to Olly. She didn't want to have to face her Mum assuming she was home. Then she remembered about the voicemail and Mr Wilding having her phone.

Slowly Libby walked down the corridor towards Mr Wilding's classroom. She tried her best to use this time to compose herself and try to wipe the tears away but they just kept coming no matter what she did. Before she knew it she was standing in front of the door leading to Mr Wilding's room.

"Ah, there you are. I was beginning to think you had forgot." Matt joked but the more he looked at Libby he could see that she had been crying recently as her eyes were red and puffy.

"What's happened?" Matt asked.

"I wish people would stop asking me stupid questions. All I want is my phone so I can go home. I've had a bad day and need to get away from this place yet you lot still insist on asking me questions. I'm sick of it!" Libby shouted, the tears starting again. She didn't even care anymore.

"Hey, there's no need to shout. I was only wondering if you were ok." Mr Wilding said simply trying to remain calm.

"Oh yeah, I'm brilliant thanks." Libby said sarcastically. "Can I have my phone back please?" She asked and watched as Mr Wilding went into his top drawer and pulled out the phone and as soon as he held it out for Libby she grabbed hold of it and disappeared out of the door before Mr Wilding asked her anything else.

 _ **Hi everyone. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I know it's short but I was too excited to write the next bit**_ __ _ **Thanks for all the reviews so far, keep them coming!**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21:**

After rushing out of school and down the road Libby finally stopped to get her breath back and to listen to the voicemail on her phone, but as she unlocked her phone she realised that she now had three.

Nervously Libby dialled in the number for voicemail and waited anxiously for the message to start. She could hear her Mum's voice down the phone saying how Olly isn't very well and needs picking up from school and whether she would be able to do it. Libby was quite surprised how sober her Mum actually sounded in the first voice message. However, in the second voicemail she certainly wasn't. She ended up having to go and get Olly after receiving more calls from the school and she was not happy. In the final one she was demanding Libby to get home to look after Olly and she could tell she was definitely drunk. She just hoped Olly was ok.

Running down the street Libby was desperate to get home. She wasn't prepared to face her Mum but her main concern was Olly. She was petrified that her Mum might have turned on him if she was drunk and he had been annoying her. Olly knows to keep out of her way but sometimes he just can't help himself, she is his Mum after all and it is only natural to want to spend time with her.

Libby practically fell through the front door in her race to get home. It was all quiet inside and as she went in the front room she could see Olly sound asleep on the sofa, a blanket draped over him. Libby went over and pulled it up to his chest and tucked it in down the sides before heading into the kitchen. Empty bottles were scattered over the worktop and a ripped piece of paper lay on the side with writing scrawled over it.

 **Gone to the shop. Be back soon. You had better be in by the time I get back**.

Libby knew fine well that her Mum won't have gone to get food shopping in, she'll have gone because she has run out of alcohol. Libby picked up the note, crumpled it up and threw it in the bin. She couldn't believe that her Mum had left Olly home alone, especially with him being ill. Anything could have happened. Libby had no idea how long she had been gone or how long it would be until she was back.

Even though she knew there wouldn't be much in them Libby looked in the cupboards and in the fridge to see what food she could scrape together for her and Olly to eat for tea tonight. She knew Olly probably wouldn't be hungry but it was important that she got him to eat something.

As Libby started to heat up a tin of soup on the hob she heard the front door creak open. As she turned she could see her Mum stumbling in the doorway, a bag with sounds of clanking in one hand and an open bottle in the other. The duo locked eyes with each other as Libby watched her Mum zig-zag her way down the hallway into the kitchen.

"I've got a bone to pick with you." Her Mum sneered before shutting the kitchen door leaving Libby wondering what on Earth was going to happen.

 _ **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, remember to leave me review about what you think!**_ __ __


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22:**

Libby backed away slightly as her Mum stumbled into the kitchen. She clumsily placed the bag down on the table where the sound of clanking was even louder before heading over to Libby who was stood in the middle of the room wondering where she could go.

"Why didn't you answer my calls?" Her Mum demanded as she drank another gulp of alcohol.

"I was in lesson and my phone got taken off me. I didn't get it back until the end of the day." Libby explained but she knew her Mum wasn't going to believe it.

"Yeah, course. I think you were ignoring me because you didn't want to talk to me. You knew you were going to be in trouble." She snarled as she slowly inched closer to Libby until she was that close that Libby could smell the alcohol in her breath.

"Believe what you want. I don't care anymore." Libby said before she realised what she was saying. She could see the anger in her Mum's eyes rising but Libby felt like she had lost control of her mouth and words were just tumbling out. "I wish Dad was still here."

"Well he isn't, is he? He walked out on us so your stuck me with." Libby's Mum said as she downed more of her bottle which was nearly empty. Libby guessed that she had had at least two bottles by now if not three.

"You know what, I used to think you were the best Mum in the world, but now your useless, especially to Olly. I'm old enough to fend for myself but Olly is only 6 and you left him alone to go and get some more alcohol. What kind of Mum does…" but Libby was cut short as a sharp pain once again crossed over her cheek, the exact same place as last time. Libby stumbled into the work top knocking a glass onto the floor.

"Anything else to say since I'm such a bad Mum?" Her Mum challenged and Libby knew she wanted her to say something else bad about her so she could take another swing at her.

Suddenly the doorway to the kitchen opened and Olly walked in his, his hair sticking up all over and rubbing his eyes like he had just woken up.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" His Mum asked as she made her way over to him and tried to crouch down next to him but instead toppled onto the floor, the bottle slipping out of her hand and rolling across the floor.

"I want Libby." Olly said as he started to whimper and Libby rushed over and scooper her brother up in her arms. She was just about to leave the room when she felt a hand grip her arm.

"Olly, darling…" Her Mum started but this time Libby was the one to cut her short.

"Can't you see he doesn't want anything to do with you. He's scared of you. Why would he want to talk to his Mum when she is drunk all the time?" Libby demanded before storming out of the room with Olly still in her arms.

 _ **Hi everyone. I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this story in a while, I've been busy with interviews and work and things. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to leave a review and let me know what you think and any ideas! x**_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23:**

Glancing down at her watch Libby noticed it was past midnight and she had not had a wink of sleep. Her Mum had left the house hours ago without a word, no doubt to go and get drunk as usual down the pub leaving Libby to look after Olly. She had spent the past hour and a half on the bathroom floor with Olly who was being sick down the toilet. She felt so useless sitting there rubbing his back but then all she had to do was think of her Mum who wasn't even there. At least she was.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that Libby finally managed to get Olly to bed. She didn't want to leave him alone in case he was sick again so she had put him in her bed. She couldn't believe her Mum had left her to look after him when he was like this.

As Libby sorted her uniform out for the following day she looked up at her calendar and she felt panic rise in her body, a swear word slipping through her lips. It was the day of her English exam and she had completely forgotten about it and had done no revision at all. Libby rummaged around in her school bag to find her revision books but they weren't there. She realised she must have left them all in her locker in her rush to get away from school. She could feel her eyes filling up with tears. This is the last thing she needed. She knew she had said to Mr Clarkson that she didn't care about her exams but she really did. She couldn't believe she had forgot and the more she thought about it, the more nervous she got.

Libby paced backwards and forwards across her bedroom floor. She had no idea what she was going to do. She was anything but prepared for this exam and it was one of the few exams she actually needed to do well on. Once again she could feel tears rising and her stomach was turning making her feel sick. None of this would have happened if her Dad hadn't had left. Mum wouldn't have turned to alcohol, she wouldn't have to be responsible for Olly and she would actually be able to concentrate on her exams. She had dreamed of going to university but now that dream had disappeared. She couldn't leave Olly here alone. Besides, she wouldn't get the grades she would need anyways what with her exams going so badly and she didn't even need to sit her English exam to know how bad she would do on it.

Suddenly Libby felt horrendously sick and rushed to the bathroom where she took up Olly's space on the floor just in time. With her eyes streaming and throat stinging Libby finally made it back to her room and knew she should try and get some sleep but she was so chewed up. She had no idea what she was going to do with Olly if he wasn't well enough to go to school. She couldn't stay home with him as she had her exam and teachers would definitely ask questions if she didn't turn up to school but she couldn't leave him alone either. All she could do was sit and cry.

 _ **Hello everyone. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry if it is a bit rambly but I guess I just wanted to share some of Libby's thoughts with you. Thank you again for all the reviews so far, they mean a lot so keep them coming!**_


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24:**

The sound of Libby's arm filled the room as she rolled over tiredly to turn it off. She slowly opened her tired, puffy eyes and stretched before climbing out of bed, her body feeling heavy from the lack of sleep. She must have finally dosed off but her eyes were red and sore from all the crying.

As usual Libby got herself washed and dressed before going to wake Olly up. She could tell straight away that he still wasn't his usual self but at least he had stopped being sick. If she could just get Olly to stay at school for the morning she hoped she would be able to sneak off after her exam and bring him home again. She knew that he shouldn't really be going in at all but she has no other option. It was either that or miss her exam completely as she couldn't leave him home alone.

Whilst Libby waited for Olly to get dressed she went into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. She looked at the redness around her eyes and the dark shadows underneath them. Then her eyes drifted to the bruise on her cheek from the other day, a new bruise forming on top from the punch she received yesterday and she couldn't help but notice it had swollen back up. She knew her teachers were bound to ask more questions, especially Ms Mason.

Once Libby and Olly were ready and Libby had scraped some food together for them to eat they set off on their journey to school so Libby could drop Olly off and hopefully make it to school in time for her exam. She was determined not to be late but the closer she got to school, the more nervous she become. Once again tears were rising in her eyes due to a mixture of worry, guilt about making Olly go to school and tiredness.

Climbing up the steps to the doors to the school Libby took a deep breath and tried to compose herself as she could feel herself shaking. She could see people starting to make their way into the hall and quickly rushed to her locker to place her things in it before retracing her steps back to the hall where people were busy trying to find their seats.

On the wall was the seating plan of where everyone would be sitting but Libby was too tired to make sense of it. She felt herself staring at it for what felt like minutes before she felt a hand on her shoulder making her jump and instantly back away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you jump," Mr Clarkson said gently as he put his hand down and Libby could feel him looking at her and the new development on her cheek. "Your seat is B9." Mr Clarkson said as he looked down at his own seating map to find her name and before he had chance to say anything else Libby had disappeared into the hall.

 _ **Hello! Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter, glad you enjoyed it as I was so sure about it. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and remember to leave your thoughts and suggestions, I love reading them all!**_ __ __


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25:**

It was 15 minutes into the exam. All around her Libby could hear the sound of pages being turned and pens scribbling away on paper and could feel the pressure rising as she looked down at her own paper where she had written nothing. Shakily she picked up the pen and tried again to read the question but the words seemed to be swirling around on the page making them unreadable.

After taking a few deep breaths Libby looked at the question and started to attempt to answer the question even though she had no idea what she should write. She couldn't remember any quotes and couldn't think of any examples to write but she knew time was ticking away and she hadn't written a single thing.

Minutes ticked by as Libby attempted to answer the questions in the exam but she knew it wasn't going well at all. Her mind had gone blank about everything she had learned and she was struggling to stay awake. She could feel her eyelids starting to get heavy but she was determined to stay away. She had too. It didn't help that her cheek was still swollen and stinging making it even harder to concentrate. Libby continued to write what she could to answer the questions but she knew she was running out of time and she hadn't answered them all.

All of a sudden the booming voice of Mr Clarkson echoed around the hall asking for all pens to be placed down and papers to be closed but Libby ignored it and continued to frantically write the end of her answer. She could feel tears once again rising in her eyes as she tried her best to blink them away but they were making her eyes sting.

As Libby glanced around the room she could see people getting up and ready to leave whilst Mr Clarkson walked around collecting in the papers, gradually getting closer and closer to Libby.

"Libby, pen down please. The exam is finished." Mr Clarkson said sternly as he slid the paper off the table and added it to the pile. He paused for a moment waiting for Libby to gather her things together but instead she just sat there. She had no idea what she was going to do. All she wanted to do was sit and cry and scream and shout.

Mr Clarkson knelt down next to Libby who kept her head focused down on the table, the pen lid flicking between her fingers. He could see tears sliding silently down over her cheek. As he looked he could see how swollen and bruised it actually was and the outline of fingers on it confirming someone had definitely hit her at least once.

"Let's go to my office." Mr Clarkson said gently before waiting nervously to see what would happen as he expected Libby to protest but instead she got up silently out of her seat and followed Mr Clarkson across the hall and down the corridor to his office. She was too tired to care anymore.

 _ **Hi everyone. So I've really enjoyed writing this chapter so I hope you all enjoy it. Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter and I really look forward to reading them about this one!**_ __ __


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26:**

Sitting down on the sofa in the pastoral care office Libby waited as Mr Clarkson shut the door behind them and pulled over a chair. She could feel herself getting all worked up again, her eyes stinging as she fought back tears, her throat getting tighter. She knew there was no way of talking her way out of it now.

"Libby, what's going on?" Mr Clarkson asked gently as he leant forward in his chair to listen to what Libby had to say.

"I've messed up the exam." Libby said quietly as she stared down at the ground. "I couldn't remember anything that I needed to write."

"I'm sure you did fine. You've done well all year and all the revision you'll have been doing will pay off I'm sure." Mr Clarkson said trying to reassure her but he could tell it wasn't working. He knew it must have gone bad for Libby to get herself into such a state.

"I'll have failed. I didn't do any revision and I didn't even finish answering all the questions." Libby cried. She couldn't fight the tears back anymore, she just had to let them all flow. She sat nervously as Mr Clarkson walked over to the desk to get the box of tissues before offering them to Libby who shakily took one from the box.

"What's going on Libby? It's not like you to not do any revision for an exam and get yourself so worked up." Mr Clarkson asked. He knew this is the best opportunity he has had to try and get Libby to open up but he needed to play his cards write otherwise she would close up again.

"Is there something going on at home?" Mr Clarkson prompted and he watched as Libby nervously shuffled around on the sofa at the mention of home.

"I don't know where to start. Everything is just so messed up." Libby sobbed and the more she tried to stop the harder the tears fell. Mr Clarkson moved himself onto the sofa next to Libby and wrapped his arm around her shoulder to comfort her. He felt so useless just sitting there whilst she cried her eyes out.

After a few minutes Libby had managed to calm herself down enough to talk again. "About 4 weeks ago my Mum and Dad split up. Dad left without saying bye and Mum has turned to alcohol to help her through." Libby started to explain whilst taking a deep breath every now and again to try and keep herself composed.

"It wasn't too bad the few first days as she would wait until Olly was in bed and she would be ok to take him to school the following morning, but then it got worse. She started going out earlier leaving me with Olly and she would come in drunk during the night and wake us up." Libby explained.

"How old is Olly?" Mr Clarkson asked. He had heard her talk to her friends about Olly in the past but had never really known how old he was.

"He's 6. He would come into my bed when Mum would come home drunk and sleep in my bed and I'd take him to school in the morning. But then Mum started staying out all night and I've been trying to do everything." She sniffled. So far she had avoided making eye contact with Mr Clarkson. She was scared about what he was going to say or do.

"How did you get the bruise Libby?" Mr Clarkson questioned gently as he leant back on the sofa to give Libby some room.

"Olly and I had run out of dinner money and there wasn't much food left in the house as Mum hadn't been shopping. She gave me a fiver but it wasn't enough and she caught me stealing from her purse and hit me." Libby explained. "Then we had an argument last night because Olly wasn't very well and she hit me again." Libby could feel herself getting emotional again and for the first time since leaving the exam she looked Mr Clarkson in the eyes. "I don't know what to do anymore" Libby whispered.

"Libby, you don't need to worry anymore ok?" Mr Clarkson started as he turned to face Libby. "You've been really brave telling me and now that we know what has been happening we can help you and Olly. Has anyone checked your cheek over? It looks really sore." Mr Clarkson asked and Libby shook her head. It was all she could manage.

"Right, what we're going to do is go and see the nurse and get it checked then we'll go and see Ms Mason and get this sorted out." Mr Clarkson explained before giving her a reassuring shoulder squeeze.

"Thank you" Libby whispered quietly before letting out a weak smile and followed Mr Clarkson out of the room.

 _ **Hi everyone. So, after quite a chunky chapter Mr Clarkson finally knows! Thank you once again for all the reviews and I look forward to hearing what you think about this chapter!**_ __ __


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27:**

After leaving the nurses room Libby and Mr Clarkson headed down the corridor towards Ms Masons office. The nurse had said Libby's cheek was only bruised and the swelling would go down with an ice pack.

When they reached Ms Masons office Libby froze outside the door. She knew Ms Mason would only be trying to help but all she could think about was the last time she saw her and how she stormed out.

"You'll be fine, we just want to help you and Olly ok?" Mr Clarkson said reassuringly. "Just talk to her how you talked to me and I'll be in there with you too." He explained before giving her shoulder a supportive squeeze. He watched as she took a deep breath and nod her head to show she was ready.

Nervously Libby stood and watched as Mr Clarkson knocked on the door then gently opened it to reveal Ms Mason sat alone at her desk. Libby knew she must look a sight with red blotchy eyes from where she had been crying and an ice pack held on her cheek.

"Libby, are you alright?" Ms Mason asked as she rushed up out of her seat towards Libby. She had been wondering about her since she ran out the previous day but had been waiting until the exam was over until she went to find her as she didn't want to upset her before the exam. She watched as Libby looked at Mr Clarkson who nodded his head to prompt her to talk but no words came out.

"Would you like Mr Clarkson to explain?" Ms Mason asked as she guided Libby and Mr Clarkson over to the sofa in the corner of the room to sit down so they could talk. Libby shook her head. She needed to do this. She turned to look at Ms Mason and could see the concern and worry in her face then looked over at Mr Clarkson who gave her an encouraging smile back.

"It was Mum." Libby said she looked Ms Mason in the eyes. "She hit me."

"Was this the first time?" Ms Mason asked gently.

"Wednesday night was the first time, but then she hit me again last night in the exact same spot" Libby said and she could feel her eyes starting to well up again.

"Let me see." Ms Mason said quietly as she leaned forward to see Libby's cheek. She moved the ice pack away and instantly Ms Mason could see the bruising had got worse since yesterday and that it must have swollen up quite a bit.

"We've been to the nurse to get it checked out and she said the ice will help the swelling and it should be ok in a few weeks." Mr Clarkson explained.

"Do you know why your Mum hit you Libby?" Ms Mason asked. She saw Libby shuffle nervously in her seat and for a moment she didn't think she was going to answer but she did. Libby explained to Ms Mason about how her Mum and Dad had split up and how Mum had turned to alcohol to help her through but it was getting out of control. She explained how she had to look after Olly herself and about the money and what had happened last night with Olly and Mum.

"So where is Olly now?" Ms Mason asked. There was no way she was going to let them go home to their Mum, not if she is going to be drunk and abusive.

"I took him to school this morning. He still didn't look right but I didn't know what else to do. Mum wasn't home and even if she was, I wouldn't want to leave him there." Libby said and a few of the tears she had been fighting so hard to keep back started to fall.

"Don't you worry, neither you or Olly are going to go back there until this has been sorted." Ms Mason said and Libby couldn't help herself but give her a huge hug. "I just wish you had told us sooner Libby, we could have helped."

"I know," Libby started as she let go of Ms Mason, "but I just didn't know how. I was scared. Part of me just thought it would sort itself out…" Libby said but then stopped midsentence.

"What is going to happen to me and Olly now?" She asked. If they couldn't go home, then where would they be going?

"Well, I need to call social services to let them know what is happening and they'll find temporary foster care for you and Olly. Don't worry, they'll keep you and Olly together." Ms Mason explained before getting up and returning to her desk to find the number she needed.

"Come on then you," Mr Clarkson said as he also got up off the sofa. "Let's go and get some food from the canteen." He said as he led the way to the door and Libby was about to follow him out when she turned to look at Ms Mason who smiled back at her.

"Thank you" Libby said quietly before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.

 _ **Wow, thank you so much for the amazing reviews about the last chapter. They made my day. Since the longer chapter was popular I decided to do it again for this one so I hope you enjoyed it. For those asking about having more Matt Wilding in the story, I promise you will be seeing more of him shortly so keep checking back! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and that I got the character of Rachel ok as I've never involved her in a story before so I'm still getting to grips with writing her character. Anyways, enough from me but please remember to leave me your thoughts and ideas!**_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28:**

Down in the canteen Mr Clarkson had bought himself and Libby some lunch before sitting down together at one of the tables. Libby didn't feel like going to find her Lauren and Sam, she wouldn't know what to say to them and she knew they would only ask questions. Libby stared down at her food but she wasn't feeling too hungry so she was sat nibbling away slowly at it.

"Not hungry?" Mr Clarkson said as he looked over at Libby.

"I'm just tired. I didn't get much sleep with Olly being ill last night. He was up until the early hours." Libby explained.

"When was the last time you had a proper night's sleep?" Mr Clarkson asked and he watched as Libby shrugged her shoulders in reply. She had no idea. It felt like forever since she had slept through an entire night without waking up.

"How about we finish up here and head back up to Ms Masons office and see what happens next? I'll explain to your teachers where you are. Who are you meant to have this afternoon?" Mr Clarkson asked as he got up out of his seat and gathered everything up off the table to clear away.

"Mr Mead and Miss Campbell." Libby replied and followed Mr Clarkson back down the corridor and up the stairs to Ms Masons office once again.

As she walked in Ms Mason was on the phone so Libby quietly sat herself down on the sofa in the same position as earlier whilst Mr Clarkson went to inform her teachers of where she is. Libby nervously stared around the room looking at the different posters and documents on the wall, then out of the window at the other pupils in the playground. Luckily, it wasn't long until Ms Mason was finished.

"Right, I need to go and talk to Mr Wilding for a minute. Are you going to be ok here until I get back?" Ms Mason asked.

"Yeah." Libby replied simply. If anything she was grateful for some peace and quiet. It had been a hectic morning. However, as Libby sat there in the silence she couldn't help but feel her eyelids getting heavy once again. She tried her best to fight the feeling but the sofa in Ms Mason's office was so comfy and she had managed to get herself nestled into the corner, her head resting against the back of the sofa. She decided a few minutes wouldn't hurt and with that Libby fell asleep.

 ** _Hi everyone! Sorry that much didn't happen in this chapter, it's a bit of a filler one ready for the next chapter where it is more exciting…I promise! Anyways, remember to leave me a review and any ideas/suggestions, I love reading them! Thanks again for all the reviews to far!_** ** _J_** ****


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29:**

Opening the door to the office Ms Mason and Mr Wilding made their way in and shut the door quietly behind them. Ms Mason turned and was about to talk to Libby when she saw her curled up in a ball in the corner of the sofa sound asleep. Ms Mason wasn't surprised, she must have been exhausted from the stress of exams and having to look after Olly by herself. She quietly walked over to Libby and knelt down next to her and gently whispered her name and gave her a little shake to wake her up. After a few attempts Libby started to stir and after a few seconds she realised where she was and sat up on the sofa.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep." Libby said before letting out a yawn.

"Libby, it's fine. You deserve a little cat nap." Ms Mason smiled at her before taking a seat on the sofa whilst Mr Wilding pulled over a chair from the table.

"I've been talking to social services about where you and Olly are going to go until this is sorted out. How would you feel about staying with Mr Wilding for a little bit? He's the nearest foster parent in the area without other children and I thought you and Olly could do with the peace and quiet." Ms Mason explained before pausing to give Libby the chance to process what she had been told.

"I know it'll feel strange staying with me but at least this way you'll get the space you need and I make an amazing spaghetti Bolognese." Mr Wilding said trying to make Libby feel more at ease.

"Ok." Libby nodded and gave Mr Wilding a smile. She knew it was going to be really odd staying with Mr Wilding but at least she knew Olly was going to be safe whilst they are with him.

"Good, now Ms Mason has allowed us the afternoon off so how about we go and get your things from your house, pick Olly up from school and get settled. Does that sound ok?" Mr Wilding explained.

"It sounds great." Libby said as a smile spread across her face. She turned to Ms Mason and gave her a huge hug which Ms Mason returned.

"You're the best Ms" Libby said quietly as she held back tears of happiness. She couldn't thank her enough for what she had done. Her and Olly were finally going to be safe.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30:**

As the car slowed down and pulled up outside her house, Libby couldn't help but feel nervous. She was scared about what was going to happen and she was worried that her Mum might be inside.

"I promise you your Mum is not there. She's not going to harm you again." Mr Wilding said reassuringly as he turned to face Libby and smiled encouragingly. He watched as Libby unclipped her seat belt and watched as her hand hovered next to the car door.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Mr Wilding asked gently and Libby shook her head gently. She didn't really want Mr Wilding to see where she had been living as she knew the house was a mess and she would feel embarrassed by it but she couldn't face going into the house alone.

Turning the key Libby heard the familiar click of the door unlocking and the door creaked open. She stepped in and could feel Mr Wilding following behind as she went through to the kitchen.

"What things will we need?" Libby asked as she tried to keep herself together. She could feel all the emotions and memories of the house flowing back to her, both good and bad.

"A couple of sets of clothes, pyjamas, toothbrush, that kind of thing." Mr Wilding explained. They could always come back if they forget something or pick it up from the shop later.

When the duo got upstairs Libby started to place some of her clothes in a rucksack she had under her bed whilst Mr Wilding gathered some clothes for Olly. They collected what they would need from the bathroom before Libby gathered the rest of her school things. The last thing she shoved in the rucksack was a cuddly dog for Olly. It had been Libby's when she was a baby and got passed on to Olly when he was born. He never used to be able to sleep without and thought it might come in handy.

"Are you sure you've got everything?" Mr Wilding asked gently as Libby looked around the hallway.

"I think so. It just seems strange to be leaving." Libby said quietly. "I've only ever lived at this house."

"Everything will work out Libby. It'll just take time." Mr Wilding explained and rested his hand on her shoulder. "Come on, it's nearly time to get Olly and we don't want to be late."

As Libby shut the door she had one final look round before hearing the click of the door once again. She had no idea when, or if, she would ever be back.

 _ **Hello everyone. I'm so sorry that I haven't uploaded in ages! Life has been a bit crazy and I just haven't got round to it but they should be more frequent again now. I've decided to carry on with this story due to lots of positive reviews about the last chapter and I would have felt meaning not carrying it on. Please remember to leave a review about what you think about this chapter and any suggestions about ideas! Thank you**_ __ __


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31:**

The bell rang loudly to symbolise the end of the school day as Libby and Mr Wilding stood patiently on the school playground waiting for Olly to be let out of his class. Libby was nervous about seeing Olly as she didn't have a clue what Olly had been told and she was scared that he wouldn't like Mr Wilding and that he would be really upset.

As the door swung open Libby edged her way forward to see if she could find Olly. She needed to make sure he was ok. Children came flooding out and finally Libby found Olly making his way out.

"Olly!" She shouted as Olly looked around and ran towards her. She scooped him up in her arms and gave him the biggest hug. She could see Mr Wilding walking towards them as he braced himself to introduce himself to Olly.

"Olly, this is Mr Wilding, we're going to go and stay with him for a bit ok?" Libby explained to Olly kneeling on the ground next to him. She watched as Olly turned to look at Mr Wilding and before she knew it Olly had wrapped his arms around Mr Wilding's legs.

"Hey, what's this for?" Mr Wilding asked as he returned the hug even though he felt slightly stunned by the gesture and knelt down next to Olly once he had let go.

"Because you're going to look after us instead of Mummy." Olly explained quietly and Mr Wilding could feel himself becoming emotional but knew he couldn't show it. He felt touched that Olly was so excited to stay with him despite never even meeting him before, but he also felt guilty that they had to be taken away from their Mum at all and that they seemed to be so happy and relieved about the decision.

"Right then," Matt said as he got up and grabbed Olly's hand and school bag. "What would you two like for tea?"

"Ohh, ohh, can we have pizza?" Olly asked excitedly as he jumped up and down. Libby hadn't seen Olly this happy and excited in ages.

"Someone must be feeling better?" Libby laughed as she got hold of Olly's other hand.

"Pizza it is then. I'll order it as soon as we get in so we can unpack whilst we wait for it to be delivered." Matt explained before leading the duo back to the car.

 _ **Hello. Thank you for the reviews on the previous chapter, they mean a lot and it's great to know people are still reading and enjoying this story! I hope you like this chapter and feel free to leave any suggestions or ideas in your review. I love to read them**_ __ __


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32:**

Once back at the flat, Matt showed Libby and Olly around and where they would be sleeping before ordering the pizza. It didn't take them that long to unpack as they didn't have much with them.

When the pizza arrived Libby and Olly snuggled up on the sofa to watch a film whilst Matt sat opposite them. He couldn't begin to imagine what they must have been through and how things have changed for them in such a short space of time.

As Matt glanced over to the duo he could see them both starting to nod off to sleep on the sofa and decided it would be best if they all had an early night. He turned the TV off and headed over to them where Libby was just to say managing to stay awake.

"How about we call it a night? It's been a bit of crazy day." Matt said as he crouched down next to them both. He could see that Olly was flat out asleep.

"Do you want to go and open the bedroom door and I'll carry him. It seems a shame to wake him." Matt said quietly as he scooped Olly up in his arms and carried him to the bedroom before lying him gently on the bed. Olly stirred briefly as he got comfortable and settled back to sleep again. Libby softly placed a kiss on his forehead and tip-toed out the room, pulling the door over as she left.

"I just want to say thank you for taking us in." Libby said quietly as herself and Matt stood in the lounge area. "I can't tell you how much it means to us."

"You don't have to thank me. You're both great kids and you deserve better." Matt said gently whilst Libby tried her hardest to stifle a yawn.

"Bed time for you I think. Remember, if there is anything you need during the night just come and wake me, I won't mind." Matt explained before saying goodnight to Libby and watched as she made her way over to her bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Once in his own room Matt let out a sigh and placed himself on the edge of his bed. He certainly hadn't been expecting to come home from work with Libby and Olly, but as he had said, they were great kids. He knew he needed an early night ready for the following day but he was grateful that it would be the weekend. At least he didn't have to get up and ready for work and could just spend time helping Libby and Olly get settled and get used to having them around.

After Matt had sorted himself out, he clambered into bed and turned off the light. He knew it would take him a while to get to sleep, he just hoped that Libby and Olly would get a good night's rest as they both look like they needed it.

 _ **Hi everyone. Sorry if you felt nothing much happened in this chapter, I just kinda wanted to show them settling in and stuff really. I need ideas on where to take this story? Do you want to see what happens with Libby, Olly and Matt over the weekend or shall I just kinda skim over it and focus more on them at school? What would you prefer? Anyways, thanks again for all the reviews and let me know about where you would like this story to go and ideas etc.**_ __ __


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33:**

It was almost midday by the time Libby and Olly were awake and had finally managed to catch up on their sleep. For a brief moment when Libby first woke up she wondered where she was then remembered everything that had happened.

As she walked into the lounge she found Olly and Matt sat watching TV and she couldn't help but let out a smile at Olly sat giggling away at the cartoons on the TV.

"Sleep well?" Matt asked casually as he shuffled up on the sofa to make room for Libby to join them.

"Yeah, I really needed that." Libby smiled back as she placed herself down on the sofa. Matt went and made some breakfast for them before putting on another film to watch. Libby couldn't remember the last time she had sat during the day and done nothing. Normally she would either be at school or having to look after Olly and make sure they both had clean uniform for the following week.

After breakfast, which ended up being more like lunch, Matt took Libby and Olly shopping to buy food as Matt wasn't sure what they would like and once they got back they decided to have another film night.

It had been ages since Libby had chilled out with Olly like this and she loved being able to get involved in the film and forget everything else going on around her. She had half expected a text or a call from her Mum shouting at her but so far she hadn't had anything.

Once the film had finished Libby helped to get Olly ready for bed before sorting herself out. She had unpacked the majority of her things except her school things which were still shoved in a bag in the corner. Libby spied the bag in the corner and wondered when her next exam would be as she had no idea. Rummaging around in her bag Libby eventually found her exam timetable and as she studied it she realised her next exam would be on Monday. She could already start to feel the nerves kicking in but it was her last exam for this year so there was a positive. However, it is her science exam and she had missed her final science lesson as she left early with Matt to get sorted. She knew what she was going to spend the following day doing. She was determined to make up for how bad she had done on the other exams and do well in this one.

 _ **Hello, so I'm not a fan of this chapter but I needed it as quite a few people wanted to see what happens with Matt and co over the weekend (but I kept it shortish as a few others just wanted me to skim over it), but I also needed this chapter in preparation for the next chapter, so sorry if you didn't enjoy it. Leave reviews about what you think/ideas etc. Thank you for all the help and advice left previously, it helps me a lot!**_


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34:**

On Sunday morning Libby was woken up by the sound of laughter and what sounded like monkey noises coming from the lounge. As she sleepily dragged herself out of bed and opened her door she could see Matt and Olly running around the coffee table pretending to be monkeys.

"Oooh, oooh!" Olly said as he ran towards Libby and gave her a big hug. Libby didn't know how to react seeing her teacher pretending to be a monkey with her younger brother at 9am on a Sunday morning but she couldn't help but laugh at the sight of it.

"Morning Libby, I hope we didn't wake you. I think we both got a bit engrossed in being monkeys!" Matt apologised but Libby was just happy that Olly was having fun and being a child again.

After breakfast Libby headed back to her room to make a start on revision whilst Matt tidied and Olly drew some pictures. She was going to tell Matt about her exam but decided to just crack on with revision instead.

About half an hour had passed when there was a knock on Libby's bedroom door and Matt poked his head round when there was no response.

"I was just checking you're ok. You didn't say you had an exam?" Matt said as he walked over to Libby and saw all the revision notes scattered around on the bed.

"I didn't realise until last night. Revision hasn't really happened with everything that has been going on." Libby said and she could feel her eyes starting to well up.

"Hey, that's not your fault. You've done amazingly well looking after not only yourself, but Olly too." Matt said as he sat himself down on the bed opposite Libby. "He loves you and who knows where he would be if it wasn't for you."

"I suppose," Libby said quietly as she tried to keep herself together. "I just feel I've completely messed these exams up."

"Listen, not everything in life goes to plan but that's just the way it is. If these exams do go badly then it's not going to be the end of the world, ok? Just keep positive and you'll ace this next exam." Matt said supportively as he picked up the revision book and flicked through it.

"Do you need a hand with anything? Science isn't my strongest subject but I'll give it a go!" Matt chuckled as he attempted to pronounce some of the words in the book.

"I'm fine, but thank you." Libby said so Matt decided to leave her to it, remaindering her that he was there for her if she changed her mind.

As Libby got ready for bed that evening she felt fairly confident about her exam tomorrow. She had spent most of the day revising and Matt had even quizzed her about some of things which she managed to get right.

Libby got into bed and decided to have one last look through her revision book when she heard her phone buzz on the table beside her. As she reached over and opened her messages she sat frozen on the spot. It was a message from her Dad.

 _ **Hello. So thank you all for the reviews on the last chapter, they have given me some ideas on what to do. I hope you enjoyed this chapter (sorry about the cliff hanger ending!). Please remember to leave a review about what you think!**_ __ __


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